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Ultraman Flare: Episode 3
Appears * Super Robot Life Forms: Alien Morpheus * Autonomous War Crime: King Morpheus Chapter 1 "Where are we going...?" asked Flare. The young man had dark hair and golden eyes. He wore loose and baggy light brown and cream clothes, a red scarf, leather boots and a belt with several pockets attached. He held a wand like device, the top of which was a golden bust of a humanoid with their arms crossed. The object generated a crimson field around him that propelled him through space. Besides him was another youth in flowing white robes. The youth had much darker skin, and hair like fire. Around his shoulders was a gold and jade circular necklace of little plates, tied together with bronze wire. He sported cold eyes that shined brilliantly like gold. He flew besides Flare, outside the energy field, in an ethereal state. "To another universe..." said Sol. "What...?" "Your next mission, it is in another universe. You will be dealing with some renegade creations of mine." "What...?" Sol turned into a stream of golden energy which flowed into the device, turning the transport field golden. Flare found himself carried off as a portal of red and gold energy appeared before him. When he came out, he had seen things, phenomenon he did not understand. He came out to a 'void' for lack of a better term, wherein he could see them. 'Bubbles', spheres of individual space time, entire universes. "This is...?" "This is the multiverse..." said Sol "As a Cinder Ultra, the power to come here is within you." "So...where is your home...?" Sol appeared next to him and looked at. He then pointed to the distance, where a gold 'star' flashed into existence and disappeared. "How far away is that...?" "Let me put it this way...Most languages and systems of mathematics in the cosmos...don't go anywhere near that high..." Flare looked at him with a blank expression, clearly failing to truly understand. Sol sighed and rolled his eyes. "Farther than any distance you can think off..." "Ah..." "You still have no idea how far that is..?" "No..." He replied with a disappointed tone. Sol held an annoyed expression, before turning into a golden light. Said light wrapped around Flare like an orb, somehow connected to Flare's device. The sphere sped off, and flew into another Universe. "Where are we going...?" "To your next mission..." "Why...?" "There is something to learn there. There is something for you to see, and thus you will begin to understand." In the darkness the two lurked. One a giant white squid with the face of an old man, the other, a pale skin giantess in a dress of dark vines, and golden circles on her ankles and wrists. She sported long black hair and purple irises on black eyeballs. The two sat in the dark one limb chained to the wall by golden links. "When do you think he's going to come back...?" said Vagash, the giantess. "Who knows..." replied Uzil, "who cares..." His tone was tired and annoyed. "I do..." "I've told you time and again, he doesn't even like you. You are everything he despises...Eldritch..." "Well he just needs to be shown the error of his ways...if by force..." "Indeed..." said a third voice. "Ah..." said Uzil, now excited "You have returned, care for more pearls...?" "No, for now I bring you a gift..." "Oh..." said Vagash. "Sol seems interested in his new Ultranoid puppet, the one poisoned during its formation. Ultraman...Flare..." "But isn't that...?" "Yes...He seems to dote on it like a father...a rather disappointed father." "Interesting..." said Vagash "I think I may have something of use for him..." She gathered darkness into her palm, condensing it into a pearl. With another hand she conjured blue particles, that she condensed into a crystal. She then forced the two together in a purple sphere, so dark it radiated a blackness around the edges. The pearl disappeared into the darkness. "What is this for...?" "Sol's new favorite, to show him what his new favorite can truly be..." "Interesting..." Chapter 2 The golden sphere landed on a world, though perhaps 'crashed' would be the more appropriate term. Flare crawled out of the crater, his body aching from the experience of basically crashing into a planet. Sol hovered next to him, unconcerned with his pain and looking around at the blue sky, the sandy dunes and the structures in the distance. "What was that...?" Flare asked, highly annoyed. "What was what...?" Sol replied, as if ignorant of what he meant. "You crashed into the planet...!" "Child, do not raise your voice at me without a good reason...and while may have directed us here, it was still your sphere and your responsibility." "I could've died...!" "Not really, but even so that would've been your fault..." "Ugh...Why are we here...?" Flare asked as he stood up. "...'We' are here...well, I'm here because you needed a guide, you're here...to learn..." "Learn what...?" "Hopefully you will figure out. There are some creations of mine who...migrated to this planet. They are in need of some help." "Other Ultranoids...?" "You can just say 'Ultras' and no, they are mechanoids..." "What does that mean...?" "It means they are robotic, cybernetic organisms..." "Cyborgs...?" Sol looked at him "How did you get so dense already...?" he said rubbing his eyes. Flare looked at him confused. "Anyways, have fun with the Morpheons." "The what...?" Sol was gone. There was no flash, no hint, he was gone, so sudden was his absence it felt strange for Flare remembering he was once there. His mind instead turned to his location. He was in another universe, in an unknown galaxy, on a planet he had never been on. "I don't suppose I can just leave...?" he looked at his device for a minute or so "Didn't think so...sigh" Flare walked, though one would think that the desert heat would not have bothered him, it did. Certain he was more resistant to it than most organics, but resistance was not the same as immunity. He walked about, wiping the sweat out of his eyes, until he saw it, a cloud of dust in the distance, rising up from the sand and...heading his direction. His superhuman vision made binoculars unnecessary as his sight zoomed into the distance and found something unexpected. A large robotic feline of some sort, was running across the desert dunes, while a pair of alien cars sped after it. It was clear they were after it as the robot cat zigzagged trying to loose them. The cars conjured up blasters from under their armor plating and fired at the cat, who in turned summoned thrusters on its back and hind quarters to speed of even faster. In retaliation the cars fired a missile. It didn't hit but the proximity of the explosion tripped up the cat sending it rolling and skidding. What happened next was what greatly interested Flare. All three machines changed, they became robots. For the cars, sections separated and extended outward and some parts folded. With the cat, the head and neck folded down onto the chest, as the limbs changed and became more humanoid as the humanoid head popped up. In the end all three became humanoids. At least two and a half times taller than the average human, they were giants, though nowhere near as big as Flare was in his Ultra Form. The guns the robots previously used in car mode, were now blasters in their hands, rifles, that they aimed at the former feline. The beast-former was on their side, clearly in position to retaliate, while the other two just smirked. "Gave quite a chase huh..." said the blue one. "That's a lot of fuel wasted on you ya know, and where exactly were you going to go, this is a prison planet for Sol's sake?!" said the red and blue striped one "Oi...You know they don't like mentioning his name..." "Pfft, those flying glitches always talking about how Sol chose them and what not. But now that he..." "Even so, if they here that kind of talk, you may get a beast mode of your own..." "Seriously...?" The striped one fired his blaster, as the cat robot had been trying to sneak away. "Again, where are you going? There's no one on this planet to help you!" The two started stomping on the robot as they curled up in their fetal position. Dents formed in their armor as the beating got worse and worse. "That's enough. Let's not waste anymore fuel on her." "Like carrying her back...?" "Indeed..." The two robots aimed their guns at the cat robot's battered head only for their attempt to be cut short when a red glowing sphere slammed into them. The sphere changed into a humanoid form, then Flare's Ultra form, but at a size comparable to the robots. "Huh..." said Flare "didn't know I could do that..." "The scarp?" said the blue robot. The two got up and looked at him. "You...you look like Sol..." "You've met him...?" "Listen organic, I don't know how you got here, but get of our planet before we turn your sludge into space dust!" "I would honestly like to see you try." said Flare "I think we should leave..." said the striped one. "What? Run from a fleshling, they're squishy, I don't know why Sol of all things would take the form of one." Flare signaled to the two, with no words telling them 'come at me'. The blue robot sneered and dropped his gun, flying forward to throw a punch. "Arrogant little...!" Flare caught his punch, his grip crushing the robot's fist, before he delivered an uppercut. The blow left a large dent going up his chest, partially crushed his jaw and the strain on his neck was obvious as he was sent flying through the air, landing some distance back. The striped one looked at his companion in horror before turning back to Flare an firing a shot. Practically on instinct, Flare swung his hand, deflecting the bolt of condensed plasma back into the robot's face, taking him down. The other robot got up, and rather quickly turned into car mode and took off. Flare just put his hands in the Specium Ray position and fired off a red that utterly destroyed it. "Huh..." said the feline robot standing up, and limping "I take it you're related to Sol...?" "Related...?" asked Flare, who suddenly tensed up. His color timer began to beep and he quickly returned to human form. Chapter 3 "You are certain...?" The blue car robot was in a room of metal panels, terminals and other robots with a similar body type. He was kneeling before a pink and silver robot with a cockpit on his chest and fighter wings on his back. He sat with one leg on the other, with two bulky robots beside him. "I am..." said the car robot "It was just likes So- 'his' giant form." In walked a green flier, a female type who stood behind the pink one. "What do you think...?" she asked "could it really be him...?" "Doubtful..." said the pink robot "If you have to ask, then obviously it cannot be him. More than likely something similar." "Are you sure?" "The computer bots were scanning in that area, they detected an unusual energy signature, which beard striking similarity to Sol's. Of course I say 'similarity'. There are certain anomalies within it." "So then what...?" "Something...similar. Regardless this will be most excellent..." "I fail to see how this can be good for us." "In this day and age, leaks are bound to happen. I would not be surprised if the rebels have learned about our presence here. Regardless it is a bit too late for them. However, our little project needs a test run." "And how do you intend on bringing this....Soloid out...?" "My dear, with bait..." When Flare stirred he was in the dark. He sat up and looked around, he was in a cave. There was a natural cool to this place and the sound of water dripping and flowing coming from the dark. At the mouth of the cave was the robot that turned into a large robotic cat. The gunmetal grey figure sat, arms cross on raised knees, looking out to the distance. She was still covered in dents and scratches. "Uhmmm..." said Flare. The robot turned around and suddenly looked relieved. "Oh you're awake, you're alive. Sorry I don't know much about flesh- I mean organic anatomy..." "Huh...Where are we...?" "A cave, some distance from where we met, I decided to get you out of the sun since you were overheating and glowing." Flare noticed the partially warped jaws on the cat head on her chest. "I see thanks..." "So what are you, who built you..." Flare moved to her side and examined her. "I'm Scratch, I'm a Morpheon from Morpheus...and if you mean literally, well another robot made me, but if you meant my species...well Sol made us, or so they say..." "Sol...?" said Flare, partially surprised. "Yeah, you know, 'god of order, fire and the forge'? Oh wait, you wouldn't know our stories. Well, they say he made us ages ago, and then just up and left for whatever reason. Talk is, back on the homeworld, they found him and tried him for leaving us in the first place. The BOOM, he turns into a giant, tells of the Upper Class, and leaves with two other gods now being worshiped on homeworld. Best part...? The people are rebelling against the upper class!" "You talk a lot..." "I know..." she said in a sad tone "It's also why 'they' came here..." "They...?" "The Upper Class and their goons. They came to use us as slave labor to build some sort of weapon to win the war..." "I don't understand...Aren't you same species" "This is 'Exile Planet'. Before the war, when people spoke out against them, or just angered them in anyway. Our bodies would be rebuilt with beast modes and we would be exiled here. You have the Lower Class, you saw them, the bulky Guard Class, the heavy or flighty Military Class and then you have the Upper Class above everyone else, flying above everyone else. It used to be good here, we made a life for ourselves, settlements all about the place, we even made fuel from the plants, would you believe that...?!" "...Yes..." "Huh...do you know Sol...?" "I know 'a' Sol, he said his creations were here before he threw me into this planet..." "So he did send you...!" she said ecstatically "I...I don't know." her happy expression faded away to sadness "I don't know why he sent me here, only that there is a mission for me on this planet." "Well what other reason could it be than to save us...?" "This seems against what he's been teaching me, interfering, consequences..." "Look Sol made us, and he, did he make you...?" Flare paused. He never once stopped and considered that, what that really meant. Sol was master and creator of Cinder Ultras, so off course, he had to have made Flare. Flare now realized that Sol...was basically his father. "I believe so..." "Then why should you feel bad about saving your own kind?!" "Kind...?" "Sol made you, he made our species, we're like connected. There is an organic word for it..." "Family..." said Flare in melancholy. "Yeah that, let's go meet the rest of your family!" Before Flare could properly react, she had transformed into beast mode. It was a process that was slower than it should have been, with sound of metal scraping. With her head, she flipped him onto her back took off out of the cave. Chapter 4 Flare felt odd, the thing he rode one, didn't give off the same sensations that told him it was alive, but 'Scratch's' behavior, it was of a sentient being, with a personality. Flare had seen machines before, but they were commonly tools, not things with their own voices and thoughts. It was new to him, and he was curious, very curious, and very sad that these machines seemed to have the same issues as other sentients. "So what do they want...?" asked Flare. "What do you mean...?" responded Scratch. Her voice seem to be broadcasted from somewhere besides her feline head. "Why did they come here...?" "Tinketon..." "Who...?" "He was a genius scientist back home, he made improvements on things like transformation speed and armor plating, which put him in a difficult position..." "Why...?" "Morpheon Orthodox, the belief system that kept the Upper Class in power, it revolved around the idea that every form had a purpose, a position, preordained by Sol, thus tampering with that was tampering with the natural order." "Heresy..." "Most scientists in his field, simply memorized blue prints for adding weapons, gadgets, storage compartments. Tinkerton radically change the internal performance of a body, he improved upon nature. That made him...disliked...but important and respected...until he tried to create new alternate modes, illegal modifications. He was trying to evolve our race, so they sent him here...Now with the rebellion they have come here to get him to build some sort of weapon..." "What kind...?" "I don't know, but I heard rumors that it was meant to counter 'Sol' of all things, ironic no...?Oh, we're almost there...!" Flare looked up to see the small shanty town in the middle of a canyon. Several buildings, constructs of rusty, metal panels, and half constructed components lined the valley. "What is it...?" asked the robot with a metallic bull head on his shoulder. Flare felt annoyed being the object of curiosity from all these beings. In the cantina he stood on the metal table like a child, only then being able to look everyone in the optics. The numerous robots all sported the symptoms of their alternate modes, some turned into bugs, cats, wolves, dinosaurs, there was even one that clearly turned into a fish. Flare was amused by how many animal forms 'he' had designed. "It's a thing like Sol...!" shouted one in the back. His upper body was clearly that of the shell of a beetle, with one of the horns serving as a crest. On his lower legs were the legs of his alternate form. Everyone looked at him. "What didn't you guys see the Trial, they captured Sol in an organic form and tried to try him for 'crimes against the species'..." "How did that go...?" asked Flare. "Sol turned into a giant, some other guys came and now there's been a social and religious revolution on home world." "Which the cause of all of this..." said the bull robot "So who are you...?" "I think...I think I'm his son..." Everyone looked at him shocked while Flare at a look of pondering. "You 'think'...?" "Hey, the guy does not do big on telling me things beyond what he thinks I should know. I only now realized this from the info your friend Scratch told me." "So why are you here...?" "He threw me on this planet and told me to go save some of his creations..." The robots talked among themselves. "What do you mean...'threw'...?" "Look, I can't explain it better" "Look kid..." "Hey, I'm not a kid...! I don't think I am...wait...how old am I...?" "You're about five standard stellar cycles old..." said Sol, who stood beside Flare. Everyone jumped, especially who leaped into the air. Sol watched with uninterested eyes as he came back down. "The heck is wrong with you...?!" shouted Flare. "Who is this...?!" asked the bull robot. "I am Sol..." he said "Tanker, or at the least a mental projection speaking to you all." Some of the robots stepped back, some fell on all fours in religious fear and/or reverence, and Scratch got up to the table with eyes full of wonder and tried to poke the spectral thing. "Please don't..." "Sorry..." she said. Flare, however was not happy. "Why didn't you tell me you were my father...?!" "What...you just now figured that out...?" Flare was silent "Congrats, would you like a cookie...?" he said in a mocking tone. "What's a 'cookie'...?" the two looked at her. "Cute as you are..." Sol put his fingers on his lips. "Oh my Sol, Sol just said I was cute...!" she said jumping about giddy... "Adorable..." said Sol, it was hard to say if he was being serious or mocking her. "Why am I here...?" asked Flare. "Yes, I myself would like to know this." said Tanker. "What you haven't figured that out...?" said Sol "Well I guess I should take my small victories..." "Stop mocking me...!" shouted Flare. "But you make it so easy, and I am in a mocking mood." "I SAID STOP IT...!" Sol looked at him and Flare was silent. "You are here to destroy the weapon and free these people from the cruelty of the upper class. Or did you really not figure that out...?" "Wait..." said Scratch "why don't you do it...?" "Child..." "What is a 'child'...?" Sol rolled his eyes "Young one, I do not get into the affairs of mortal. I am Sol, I am fire, I am power, I bring order and structure, I dominate and control, yet I do not conquer. The Lord of Cinders does not step on the free will of mortals." "You order me about...?" said Flare "You and I have a much close bond then 'them'. It is a bond beyond 'father and son' and extends to other creations of mine...servants..." "So I'm not special.?" "No, you are, that's why you will do as told." "...Why are you here...?" "I thought you people would never ask... The Upper Class are sending their weapon this way as we speak." "What?!" said Tanker. "Yes, you may want to prepare for that..." The robots scrambled about like headless chickens, while Flare glared at Sol. He was angry, at not being told, and being mocked and derided. Yet what angered him was how little Sol seemed to care for the suffering 'he caused'. He turned to leave. "Flare..." he stopped and looked back. "Keep your anger under control. When Giants walk, it is the little things that get crushed under foot." Sol faded away, leaving Flare to ponder his words. "Scratch...!" shouted Flare. She came "Take me outside the town. Scratch stopped outside the gates, up the hill and at the entrance of the valley. Flare jumped off and she turned back into robot mode. "Go..." said Flare. "Get to safety with the others..." In the distance the giant robot was being carried by several helicopters "And you...?" "I'll be fine, I have a longer time limit at full size..." "Full size? Time Limit...?" Flare pulled out his wand. It shined a red light that enveloped him and he took off. Chapter 5 The robot was a menacing looking thing. It sported large horns on its head, a menacing grill faceplate, glowing red eyes, and its grey chest armor gave the impression of a skull. It's large body had a barrel shaped chest and cylinder shaped limbs. It was hoisted around on wired thanks to clusters of helicopters, Military Class Flyers in vehicle mode. "Slag it...!" said one of them "why do we have to do such manual work, this is for drones or grounded!" Just like that a wave of red energy sped by cutting all of the wires. The robot fell out of sky as expected and a red sphere of light sped towards them and flew down to the ground near the dust cloud the robot had left. It burst open with the light, the energy, forming Flare's Ultra form. "Oh..." said the green the noble. He was in his command room. Next to him was a robot whose alternate form was clearly a robotic crocodile. "Well it's not Sol, but it should be a good test no? Tinkerton...?" "At least..." said Tinkerton "they get a reprieve..." Tinkerton was between two large bulky mechs, clearly a prisoner. "Woah..." said the beetle robot. He and others were in a room, with control panels and monitors, one of which showed video footage of Flare from behind. "He is the son of Sol..." "Maybe..." said Tanker "but he's not as golden, Crusher..." "All units open fire...!" shouted the squad commander. The helicopters all fired plasma bolts and missiles at Flare, whose body easily withstood the barrage. With a swing of his hand, Flare destroyed them with a red beam. It was then a large mechanical fist rose out of the dust cloud and punched him in the face. Flare landed on his back and grabbed his face. That was first time he had ever been punched so hard, and the fact that his face was as hard as a rock was truly a boon. Shaking of the punch, he got up as the machine charged towards him. At it attempted to bear hug him, he grabbed it, by the waist and flipped it over and moved for an elbow strike, and regretted it. The force of the blow flowed back up his elbow, leaving that arm stunned as the two got up. Flare held his throbbing arm, as the robot charged and swung its fists at him. Flare was left dodging and jumping back, as thankfully the machine was slow. That was until it pointed its shoulders forward. Panel opened to reveal missiles that fired at him. With his good hand he erected a red shield of energy that blocked them. Then the robot stood up, opened its chest, and the crystal disc it revealed shot out a beam of energy. Flare found himself being pushed back, and dug his feet into the ground and use both hands to hold back the beam. "Oh..." said the green noble "You've done well Tinkerton. This Sol..." "That is not Sol..." said the other noble "The markings are all wrong and Sol demonstrated reality bending. This one, is weak in comparison." "Perhaps, but their defeat would deal a blow to the moral of the Rebels, and King Morpheus would also finish them off. Flare felt the heat rising in his body, he had exerted too much, and not pain attention to his internal energy. He could feel the runaway reaction starting, it meant more strength, but it also meant he would have to finish the fight soon. The robot's beam ended and its chest plating closed. Flare immediately converted the shield into coating around his fist and charge the robot, delivering a blow to the chest. Through that impact the energy transferred to the robot in an explosive burst that knocked it back and onto its back. Flare's arms crackled with red lightning as he put them in the specium ray position. As he fired a red beam from his hands, the robot sat up and fired lasers from its eyes. The two beam engaged in a beam clash, one attack being pushed back, then the other, until there was an explosion. Flare turned away from the bright flash, and when he turned back around, twin beams sped out of the dust and hit him on the shoulder knocking him down. said Flare in his heart. Like that time came to a standstill. Before him appeared Sol, just as seemingly uninterested as before. In fact, it seemed as though his mind was somewhere else. "Please, help me..." "....No..." "What...?" "No...I know you're young but the word is in your vocabulary." "Why...?!" "Child, I made you and your kind to fight the good fight on my behalf...because that option becomes less and less open to me as the days go past. The things you were made to fight are far worse than this abomination of science..." "So that's it, I ]'m just a soldier for you, and what if I don't want to fight...?!" "Clear signs of your poisoning, but a moot point. You will fight, you will the eldritch, the aberrations...or they will seek you out. This is your truth as a Cinder Ultranoid." "What if I tell you to stuff it...?!" "You do no understand...which is why what is to happen, must happen..." "What does that mean, what did you do...?!" "I...did nothing, I simply will not step on your 'free will' but as a result...you must bare the consequences of your choices..." "I don't understand..." "I know, but one day you will understand...that as cruel, mean and petty as I may seem...there is reason to my actions that goes beyond the now..." "...Why didn't you tell me...?" "You act as if I was trying to keep a secret. Now go shining hero, go and strike down that walking crime." "Crime...?" Sol was gone, and Flare the flow of time continued as he could move again. His color timer was flashing, beeping and the heat was there beneath the rest of his body. The robot stomped out of the dust and Flare knew what he had to do. He crossed his arms and drew them open, covering himself in flames. Like that he ran towards the robot, which fired its eye beams again, but the beams were defused by the flames. Flare grabbed the robot and held on as his body glowed white hot and then... The explosion caused earthquakes all over the region. Scratch, who had been watching from far away, found her sent flying back from the shockwave that came after the red flash of light. She tumbled and slid and like to the distance in shock at the mushroom clouds that was now present in the sky. She moved to run towards him but then, rather particles gathered in front of her on the ground, becoming a humanoid shape before turning into Flare, in his human form and covered in burns. Chapter 6 "Where am I...?" asked Flare. He stood up, without the burns, but still he felt weak. He stood in a void of golden energy, but it was tainted, around him, with a red, crimson glow that seeped into the river of heavenly gold around him. The implication was not lost on him, what this could possibly mean. "You..." said Sol "are in a dimension of the mind..." "I don't understand..." "That's almost your motto isn't it...?" Flare sneered, and the red glow got bigger. "Stop mocking me...!" "Maybe, maybe when you actually try to understand..." "I do try...!" "No you don't. You think, perhaps, but really, you only now realized that I am your creator, after I told you Cinder Ultras were my creation?" Flare calmed down. "I guess I am just broken, a useless tool, huh..." "Dear me, five years old and you're already going through teenage angst..." "Huh, well I beat that thing..." "Maybe...but it would've been easier to have just thrown a dist and decapitate it..." Flare paused. "Ah..." "Besides, while you put it out of commission, that thing has been salvaged." "What? Then I have to..." "What...? Run into battle again...? I will give you this warning, your mission is to destroy that machine and leave." "Why...?" "I sent you here, knowing what must be done, and what that means, I also know what you will do. I talk to you know to reveal to you that you have a choice, a chance to save yourself and each other from yourself." "...What am I going to do...?" "You will commit genocide, you will slaughter your enemies, and these innocents when the truth is known..." "What truth...?" "Do no stay, and do not deviate from your mission..." "What truth...?!" "What would be point in telling you when I told you to avoid it?" Flare sat up, gasping for air, surprising the the mechanoids around him. They all looked him surprised, especially one holding wires. "What...what were you going to do...?" "Uh...." said the robot with bear parts "we were trying to restart you..." "Organics don't work like that...you probably could've killed me..." "huh..." everyone had a looked of embarrassment on their face. "Well.." said Scratch, trying to lighten the mood "it's a good thing you woke up, can you imagine if we had killed the son of Sol, he he he he, how would he react...?!" "I don't think he would care..." said Flare getting up. There was silence. "So..." said the bear bot "need to make an appointment...?" "For what...?" said Scratch "That servo in your mouth..." She clunked him on the head. "If we're all good now..." said Tanker "we still have a problem..." "The nobles..." said Flare. Tanker nodded "Then I need to leave, if this was all about me..." "I fear that is a moot point... The Upper Class have always been petty and cruel. Even if you left, they would still send an army this way, just because...So I ask you and your father..." they all bowed "help us, in this dire time of need..." Flare looked at them, he didn't know how to process it but he understood he was being worshiped, respected. A small part of him liked it, and another part of him was afraid of it. He looked to his device. "Do we have weapons...?" Flare sat on Scratch's back, as Tanker opened the vault door, showing a collection of weapons. "And you haven't rebelled because...?" "Energy..." said Tanker "If we wanted to power all of these things we would be spent for the rest of the Stellar Cycle. These weapons were made in precaution, but for the longest time we have been a peaceful planet, beside the occasional tribe skirmish." "So...you need energy..." said Flare. It took him a moment to notice that time had stopped. Annoyed he stood up and turned around and face Sol. "Let me guess..." "Yes..." said Sol in an annoyed tone "For a five year old, you have gained some serious angst." "Why should I not help these..." "People, the word you're looking for, and it's that bigotry that is also part of the reason I told you, beat the robot and leave." "What happens if I help them..." "A massacre..." "And if I don't...?" "King Morpheus will be stopped at a great cost, many will die, but they will rebuild, eventually they will return to the homeworld with information, technology which would be used to help the Rebels. The Morpheon race evolves and they are better for it in the long run." "You see, the big picture, fine, but what about the little picture...?" "What about it, people come, people go, and in the end, you're just doing this because you're 'angry with daddy'. Word to the wise, that is a motive that has practically never ended well...for anyone." "I am not abandoning these people..." "Abandon...child, your job is to destroy that abomination so these people can have a chance to free themselves." "Yeah, well I am helping them, and when I'm done I going to home world and ending this stupid war...!" "Oh, really...?" "Really..." "I will not warn you a third time, no...no I think next time, is the time for lashes, boy." He was gone. "Flare...?" said Scratch. Flare was silent, then he grabbed his device and fire red energy at the vault, charging everything in there." "We, are taking the fight to them!" Chapter 7 "Corruption..." said Z. The Xenomorph like being had tentacles on the back of his head and wore heavenly white robes. Beside him was Akreious in similar robes but the gauntlets and helmet of a dark knight, with green flame erupting from beneath the metal. "Indeed..." said Akreious "Want us to wreck him...? "Were you not listening...?" asked Sol. The three beings were in a place of white clouds for the floor and a void around them. They looked down at the pool, showing the mechanoids being armed. "You know..." said Z "you could have told him about the fuel reserve there on the Upper Class base. "He would not have cared. He thinks he knows better than me, that I do not care..." "You don't..." said Akreious "If I didn't care, I would be undoing all the damage you cause..." "A fair point..." "It is the darkness in him...it is growing...and distancing him from me." "Or your parenting..." Sol pulled out a bolter and shot him in the face, blowing off his head. "You must know your abrasive personality would have such an effect..." said Z. Akreious got back up, his head reforming as he screamed in pain. "THAT HURTS...!" "That's the point..." said Sol. "Huh...good point..." "Sol..." said Z "What are you planning...?" "That..." said Sol "is a secret...but if you must know...he must stand on his own two feet...even if it means he falls on his own..." "Okay...so what is your agenda...?" Sol looked at him. "The Happy Ending..." The alarms went off in the base. The green Noble entered the command room to see the images on the monitor, several mechs were heading their way, from all directions. "How is that possible...?!" he shouted..." "Sir, we are detecting the radiation of the Giant from all of them...!" "Of course...prepare the weapon, all forces mobilize...!' The missiles left fiery streaks in the air as the sped towards the army of beast robots. Upon Tanker's back, Flare stood up and pointed his wand into the air, generating a red shield. Said shield protected them. "It seems like all the clans are coming..." said Tanker. Flare noticed as the day began to break, the numerous herds of beast-morphers, canine, felines, equestrians, arachnids, insects, reptiles and the odd avian flying. "Huh...Sol seemed to have a thing for beasts forms...so why this caste system..." "It is only now that it is obvious, Sol never intended for this caste system, the First simply wanted power." "Yeah, but he allowed it..." "You sound angry..." "How can I not, this injustice happened...and he..." "He sent you...Mysterious ways and all of that..." Flare remained unconvinced. "Incoming...!" In the distance they could see them, the cars, the tanks and the helicopters all rearing to go. Tanker gave out a roar from his bull form and he, like the others, conjured up their weapons and opened fire. "Go..." Flare jumped off, and took off, running past everyone to get into the base. His small size and his speed allowed him to easily slip onto the compound, and the power of his device allowed him to activate consoles and open doors. Eventually he came to the workshop, and he spied him, a robot with a crocodilian alternate form. He was alone in an office with two large mechs guarding the door. "Tinkerton...?" asked Flare as he jumped down from the ceiling. "Uh..." said the robot "Who are you...?" "I'm Flare, Sol sent me..." "Right, and I'm Sol's first forged..." "Look I'm the giant that fought that big robot, this is just my...powered down phase..." "Okay small fry..." Tinkerton sat down. Clearly he was not convinced "Why are you here...?" "To get you out, the others sent, me. You may know about that robot and how to take it down..." "If Sol, really sent you, then why didn't he just tell you how to break it...Isn't he all knowing..." "Between you and me I think he's a jerk." Tinkerton looked amused. "Look he ordered me to just come here, break that oversized toy and leave...and leave these people to what fate he has cooked up for them, he even said most of them would die..." "So you're disobeying him...?" "Yeah...So are you helping or not...?" "I've...helped...enough as it is..." he said with a sad look. "What do you mean..." "Kid, on this world, with little to no infrastructure, where do you think, the materials for that machine came from, the metal to build its limbs the armor plating, the circuits..." "I don't know..." "Look around you...they made me take them apart..." "What...what are you saying..." "Listen here, minion of Sol, listen at what your master allowed. The robot, King Morpheus...he is composed of the still living, still suffering bodies and minds of my people." Flare's mind went back to Sol and his comments about the robot. 'Abomination' was the word he kept using. "He knew..." said Flare, his eyes now glowing. "Yeah, and what are you going to-" "He knew...!" Flare transformed, his Ultra form was a size comparable to that of the mechanoids, but his eyes glowed red with anger. The red ultra beam, destroyed the door and took out the guards, and Flare walked out and began firing his beam again. Within moments, the workshop was slag and flames, as guards, prisoners and everyone in his way, died to his blind rage. "What are you doing...?!" shouted Tinkerton. He lunged on Flare only to be backhanded and shattered to pieces... "Where am I..." Tinkerton found himself in a white void floating. He looked around to see himself in Z's tentacles and screamed. "Loud isn't he...?" said Akreious. The three, in their white robes looked down on the image below of Flare's rampage. "You were right Sol..." said Z "The boy would rampage..." "Sol...?" said Tinkerton. The two cosmic entities pointed to Sol. "You piece of slag, you did this you did all of this! All of this is your fault, where were you, where were you...?!" Sol just kept staring down at the images. "Look at me, I said look at me...!" Akreious growled, a deep menacing, frightening growl. The shouting was annoying him, and Tinkerton calmed down. "Why am I here...?" Sol raised his hand and Tinkerton found himself yanked towards him by an unseen force and held in place. Then it was Sol looked up at him. "You are here to watch..." Tinkerton felt the pull of gravity and fell to the 'ground' onto his knees. "You, this is your fault, you-" "You had plenty of chances to sabotage the project, to alert the villages and prepare them for the onslaught. Even, call the rebels, and alert them to what was going on, I can vouch for their leadership. You say I caused all of this to be happen, by what? Not overstepping the free will of you mortals? Maybe, but I do wonder which is worse, apathy...or downright cowardice..." "Ooooooooooooooh..." said Akreious. Chapter 8 "There is an unknown assailant in the factory...!" shouted one of the operators. "On screen..." said the noble. The image of Flare's rampage within the workshop appeared on the monitor. "What...? That's impossible...!" "How can he be back...as so small...?" asked the other noble "is he regenerating...?" "I don't know, I don't care...launch King Morpheus!" "Sir, the repairs..." "NOW!" The ground shook beneath Flare. He looked out with Ultra eyes and saw King Morpheus rise up from its silo, mostly repaired. King Morpheus roared and proceeded to walk towards the battle when the building behind him exploded in a burst of red light. Turning around, it was unprepared for when Flare delivered a fire covered fist to its chest sending its flying and skidding across the ground, skidding and crushing many of the combatants on both sides. Flare didn't register this, he didn't care, he roared like a mad man and jumped on the robot kneeing him, before delivering punch after punch covered in his crimson flames. Unlike before these blows were doing damage, leaving dents int he robots face and leaving it misshapen. The robot fired its beams, but Flare but bore the brunt of them them, punching. King Morpheus changed tactics, firing numerous missiles from its shoulders, some hit around it, others Flare, stunning him long enough for the robot to open its chest and fire its laser, sending Flare flying backwards landing on more of the compound. Both combatants got up, before to go again. King Morpheus charged his cannon again, while Flare roared. The beam fired and Flare crossed his arms, covering himself in fire. The crimson flames, now darker in tone, absorbed the brunt of it. When it was finished, Flare opened his arms and raised them, channeling the fire into a sphere which he then threw at the robot. Morpheus fired what it could, eye beams, missiles, they were eaten up by the sphere like objects falling into the sun. The sphere hit Morpheus and the combination of the Ultra Beam Energies, and the reactor within Morpheus, resulted in a massive explosion. The explosion cleared the battlefield, and destroyed much of the compound and it seemed like the only thing left standing was Flare himself. "Why...?" asked Tinkerton "Why did you have me see all of this...?" Sol grabbed him by the throat. "This is why people should listen to me..." His golden energy covered the robotic specter and he threw Tinkerton into the pool before diving in himself. Tinkerton's body glowed, the shattered, torn and broke pieces forced themselves back into shape and moved towards each other, rebuilding, restoring all until Tinkerton was resurrected. The workshop was gone, and so were the corpses, blown away by the explosion, leaving behind scrap and slag. He looked up to see the back of Flare, massive, gargantuan, but that was not was interested him. His interest was the same as Flare's, a golden light was in the heavens, and it shot down like a beam. When the dust cleared, an all-gold Ultra was kneeling, arms blocking his face. He lowered his arms and stood up and looked at Flare crossing him arms, giving a look of disappointment. Tinkerton could hear Flare talk, loud and with great rage and hate in his voice. "FATHER!!!" He knew then that the golden Ultra was Sol incarnate. "You let this happen, this is your fault...!" "Is it now, despite the fact that you directly disobeyed my orders..." "I am not your pawn...!" "No, but you do work for me..." Flare roared and lunged forward with a fiery fist aimed at Sol. Sol, simply, and gracefully, deflected it to the side, with the side of his arm and elbow, twisted it and delivered a hammer strike to his color timer. Flare stumbled back in pain, grabbing his chest as he was left confused. "Oh, by the way, that's a nerve cluster connected to your heart, so...getting hit there really hurts for all Ultras. Even for those that have a technological equivalent." Flare growled again and charged again, and lunging and for a punch. Sol side stepped, and proceeded to dodge Flare's jabs, swing and punches. "Really, you have no style, no class, 'boy'." He got the punch and delivered several kicks to the back of his leg, back and his head, sending him stumbling and falling onto all fours. It was only now Flare noticed that his color timer was flashing red, he noticed the pain and it drove his rage further. Flare generated flames as Sol stood with his arms crossed. He gathered them into a sphere and threw it at Sol, who spun around and delivered an outward kick sending it flying to the distance where it exploded as a large burst of red light. Sol went back to crossing his arms. "You are a thorough disappointment." Flare was raging, but a part of him was now afraid. The red light dim and Sol knew he could be spoken to now. "You could not even defeat that mechanical abomination without going mad or risking your life. Some simply sense would've easily taken it down. It's not like Morpheon technology is anything...special. You disobeyed my orders to let the Morpheons win this on their own, to not seek out the truth of the robot." "You would've sacrificed their lives for what?!" "A Happy Ending, but I have long since accepted I won't get that outcome for everyone. Regardless, you helping them, if you had not gone mad, if you had wiped out the Upper Class Army, they would still starve. Your corrupted...radioactive energy in their weapons would ruin their internal circuits and even without that, many would starve as there would not be enough fuel, or means of acquiring it on this planet to facilitate their means back to the home world." "Then, then why didn't you stop me...?!" "I don't control you, though I have that right, I don't even control the other Cinder Ultras, even without them being obedient I force nothing from them. I certainly don't control anyone, not directly anyways. As the lord of 'order' I know the value of freedom. Like everyone else, your choices are your own, and so is the responsibility for your actions." "What are you talking about?!" "Flare...? Where are your friends...?" Flare stopped and looked around, the area beneath him was blasted and smoldering. Yet, eventually he saw them, the broken parts of the various mechanoids that were fighting here. He was lost confused, until he remembered. "Yes, when you destroyed the robot, with that reckless attack of yours. You did this..." "No..." "Yes, you. You talk about all I have done and not done, but I ordered you to not do, what you specifically chose to do. In the end you have wrought the chaos I sought to avoid, the pointless destruction of life, you did this..." "No, no this is your fault...!" "And now you try to force the blame on someone else. First disobedient, then violent, now a coward. You make my heart weep." "You have no heart...!" Flare lunged at him, again with a fire covered fist. Sol caught his hand, and Flare fell to his knees in pain as Sol's grip made the bones in his hand crack. "Oh...then why have I been holding back on you all this time..." said Sol. He forced him up by his hand. "You younglings like to announce your attacks, yes? Fine, Sol...Casual Punch." Sol delivered an uppercut to Flare's gut, and that uppercut delivered him into upper orbit. Tinkerton watched with shock and astonishment as Flare went flying off into the sky. A few moments later Sol raised his hand and emitted a golden light. Chapter 9 It all felt like a fog lifting when Flare awoke. He found himself in space, orbiting the planet of Exiles below. He was lost, confused, and then moved and he curled up in pain from the agony coming from his abdominal region. With the pain came the memories, the people he met, Sol's orders, the battle, the death, Sol's punishment and his defeat. Through all of these memories, these thoughts, came one main, emotional response...shame. Flare was ashamed, at the end of the day, it was his hands that slew the innocent, the people that rallied to him. They had died, not because of the Nobles, their oppressors but because of his pent up frustration, his childish angst and rebellion. He knew Sol was down there, waiting, and staring right at him. In the face of his father's gaze of disappointment...Flare covered himself in a red aura, turned and took of at light-speed. Tinkerton watched as the red star flew away, and knew it was Flare leaving. His attention then turned to Sol who stood there backing him with his arms crossed. He walked towards him, trekking over the ruin and the slag. "So what now...?" he asked. Sol raised an arm and snapped his fingers. Just like that they were back, all the Beast Morphers, all those who had just died in Flare's rampage. Tinkerton even recognized, with nervousness, those who were sacrificed in the making of King Morpheus. They all looked around confused, somewhat scared, but when they locked optics on Sol, many stopped and bowed, or cowered away in fear. "No, NO...! He doesn't deserve it, he, he let all of this happened, all of this suffering was his plan, it..." "Tinkerton..." said Sol. The bot felt like a child being scolded. "Do not ever say that I plan for suffering. I plan around it." "Okay...so what now, do we go back to homeworld and join the war....?" "No, you lot barely have enough energy to survive here, let alone build a ship and survive the journey. I have purged Flare's taint from your weapons. You will empty them to sustain yourselves, until you can build infrastructure to supply yourselves. I also leave you this gift." The green noble appeared out of thin air, broken, and half reduced to slag, but still functioning. "Kill him...!" said several of them. "No..." said Sol. They stopped "You will use him as a bargaining chip, when the other Nobles come here. They are very protective about their 'class'. Till then I leave you Tinkerton, to do my work here..." "Why would I do that..." Sol turned and looked at him "do you seek the prosperity and happiness of these bots? Then you will do my work..." Tinkerton paused and thought for a moment. "Are you not going to tell him, Flare...?" "He is not worthy to know! ...And he must live with the consequences, we don't all have a 'daddy' to come and fix his mistakes...and he won't always have one either..." "What...?" "Nothing for you to bother yourself with..." He looked back at the sky "Ah...on time." Sol took off into the space at high speeds, where he covered himself in a golden aura, before taking of at light speed. "So what now...?" asked Scratch "We...we rebuild..." replied Tinkerton, knowing what to do, but still lost.Category:Ultraman Flare Category:Fan Episodes Category:SolZen321 Category:Metaverse Series Category:Completed Works